Prague Biennale 4 and Prague Biennale Photo 1

(Press release)

4 May 14 — July 26, 2009

Karlin Hall, Thamova 8, Prague 8

Polymorphous, multifaceted, multicultural and in continuous dialogue with itself as well as with its audience; these are the qualities of PRAGUE BIENNALE 4, presented this year together with PRAGUE BIENNALE PHOTO 1.

Prague Biennale directors Giancarlo Politi and Helena Kontova have created an open forum on painting, presenting this issue through several declinations and manifestations: locals, nationals and internationals. The result is EXPANDED PAINTING — a title coined on the occasion of Prague Biennale 2 and inspired by Rosalind Krauss’s “Sculpture in Expanded Field.” This term becomes the starting point for a series of sections which aim to spotlight and engage the actual state of painting in Central Europe together with other countries like Mexico, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, in cooperation with a team of active and creative curators.

The counterparts of this parade of paintings and painters never seen before internationally are ART IN GENERAL and FOCUS ITALY, which confi rm once again the Biennale’s mandate and its attention to a multiplicity of interests and themes. ART IN GENERAL captures the current situation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, featuring peculiar and unexpected curatorial visions, while FOCUS ITALY brings ‘on stage’ a fraction of Italian artistic production that is often overshadowed.

PRAGUE BIENNALE PHOTO 1

Alison Brady,Untilted, 2008

Debuting this year, PRAGUE BIENNALE PHOTO 1 is an extensive overview of new photographic production in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia, through a curious link to the United States, reaffi rming the importance of photography in these countries.

Featuring four sections, this counterpart of the Biennale confirms once again the nature of such an event: synergy, juxtaposition and pluralism become the ingredients for this Prague Biennale, which is the sole rendezvous for artistic production in Central Europe and beyond.

Do you want to be an artist?

Be aware of this:

1._ People who need to make art make art no matter what.

2._Do you want to know how to be an artist? Make art. Do it because you need to do it.

3._Your art reflects your surroundings, and you can live like a pauper, but that limits the range of your art.

read the whole article in Brazen Careerist

How canon lens are made!!!

Watch these videos really interesting and surprising.

Rock!!!

I am not a musician but I would like to have the talent to create melodies for the spirit, to express the anger, sadness and loneliness. That desire is the reason of my interest in photograph musicians and rock bands during their shows, because if I am not able to make songs at least I can try to show the bands and express what their songs want to say by means of an image and at the same time express myself.
In this selection of photographs, the light, color and shadows are as well subjects together with the musicians which does not compete with them but create a stronger message.
Music and photography have been always linked in personal work and this photographs is a small sample of my interest for create or capture images that represent the musicians and their music and help me to express myself through the photography.

Rock made in Peru - Images by Carlos Lopez

Model photos

After a long time in silence, I am back!!!
Well, so first I want to say that the little boy inside the box for the Christmas post is my son now 5 months old. He is cute, isn't?
Anyway, well here are some pictures of a photo session that I had during my trip to Lisbon, Portugal, due to a exhibition of some my photos. Enjoy it:


Neuza Diza - Images by Carlos Lopez

She is a model friend from Portugal called Neuza.

The photo-shoot took place in a small room illuminated mainly by a window and a small bounced on the ceiling and wall to fill the shadows. Nothing complicated.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!!!

Houses of poverty and beauty.

This is an old project back in my student times.

A place quite close where I used to live.

A place where the silence witnessed how poverty arrived and a rusty beauty evolved from its sadness.

A happy crew member?

I used to to work in a cruise line and beside how nice it looks is actually a very hard work. As many things in life nothing comes free. Yes, you can go to exotic places for "free" but you work everyday (no days off never ever) for around 10 hours or maybe more depending of your department. You work hard for your money and the company but they (your supervisor, manager or someone with authority over you) can just screw you up if  you make one simple mistake or simply they don't like you. Cruel and true. The best part in my opinion is that you have the opportunity to work with people all over the world and make friends that likely you wont see any more once you or them left the job on the cruise industry.

Anyway, just check this blog: http://mycruisinglife.com and you will find more information in the good and bad side about the ship life. Personally, in this case I won't be neutral, so I rather let the post to someone else.

Crew member from the bar department.

An andean mother

I took this photograph in the streets of Cuzco. The "job"of this woman was walk around the city and request a tip for a picture of her, with her or with the little calf. But the detail that call my attention was how she carries her son on her back. It wasn't the first time I saw it but that day that little boy was moving from left to right like trying to get into the photos that were taken to his mother with no success. So I decided include him a did although he didn't smile.  : (

Chemigrams

In my current group exhibition I am showing my series "Chemigrams",  I start this series with an act of of improvisation that became let's say... euphoria. It was simply creative energy flowing. Nevertheless the spark that started that fire was originated by an accident.

I had forgotten my box full of photographic paper on one bus, so the chances to get it back were 1/10 but for my luck I got it back next day after have researched the company and got their address.

So, I was happy once again in the dark room of the college printing a photo until I saw how the paper become totally black just after being submerged in the developer. Holy s**t!!! the driver of the bus had opened the box looking for something of value but he only found white paper. So that's why I could get it back, it wasn't the honesty of the driver, was that it didn't had any value for him.

I had a package full of photographic paper already exposed or better said spoiled but I was not willing to throw it away, to surrender to the destiny. It had been a prize and I had to take some advantage of it in some way.

The next minutes were some mixture of anger with the excitement of a challenge so I started to to drop the developer on some paper felling my self as a photographic version of Jackson Pollock. 

The result is what you can see below. A group of photographs whose lines, shapes and dots evokes an universe of simplicity and as well of chaos.

The exhibition is going to be in the gallery Colorida, Lisbon, Portugal from january 13th till february 17th 2009. Everybody is invited

James Natchwey Ted's wish

Photojournalist James Nachtwey is considered by many to be the greatest war photographer of recent decades. He has covered conflicts and major social issues in more than 30 countries.

Here he sees his TED Prize wish come true, as we share his powerful photographs of XDR-TB, a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis that's touching off a global medical crisis. Learn how to help at http://www.xdrtb.org

David, the fire eater.

He is David “the fire eater” I met him in Belize city where he lives (i think in the streets) and works. His show consist in turn off a light torch with his mouth. He make his show most of the time for the tourists from the cruise ships in return for tips.

One day after his show I decided make some close ups to try to “catch” his burned tongue and vivid eyes so I went to ask him and he accepted without ask for more money, after a session of seconds he said very loud: You are my friend!!!

Two weeks later I saw him again and I gave him two photos 4×6 of him:one performing and the other of his face smiling, he liked the gifts. My surprise would be 4 months later when I came back to Belize and I saw him again. He had made enlargements of the photos by simple photocopy and used one like “promotional poster”. while the second one was framed and next to the basket for his tips.

Now, something to think about. David once was like all of us a little boy full of dreams and plans. Can you imagine him in that period of his life?